It Is What It Is

Finding the sweet spot in what feels like too much — My Sunday Best #117

Next to the front door, there is an embroidered hoop that reads, “It is what it is.” I see it every time I open the door. It’s a constant reminder to pay attention, be present, and most of all, not to take life too seriously.

This past week has been one of extremes. It’s been like a pendulum swinging from too much on one side to not enough on the other. All in one day, I’ve felt and voiced the discomfort of being too hot, too cold, too tired, and too hungry. The music has been too loud, the room too crowded, the roadside traffic speeding by too fast. In other words, there’s just been too much, and my inner toddler is not happy about having to endure a little discomfort.

My mom tells a story about the time we had to go home after a fun-filled day at the carnival. I think I was three years old. As we were sitting at the dinner table, I was still pouting about having to leave the fun behind. When I was asked if I had a good time, I replied in my best toddler vocabulary, “Not have good time.” After which, I stiffened up, crossed my arms, and slid down off my seat, hitting my chin on the table on the way down.

Since then, I’ve learned to take a different approach when things aren’t the way I think they should be. If I’m “not having a good time,” it’s a sure sign that I need to look a little closer to find another version of the truth.

She’s hanging upside down, smiling at the world
With her legs curled around the monkey bars
Swinging from the sky
With the clouds tickling her toes

Laughing out loud, she thinks it’s funny
Everyone’s in such a hurry
A new version of the truth
From a different point of view

Point of View, Trisha Leone Sandora

For instance, this morning, I walked out to the raised bed garden, which doesn’t look so good right now. The heat has wilted and dried up many of the plants, and the ones that are surviving are droopy and sad-looking. However, when I looked a little closer, amid the dying leaves, on one of the marigolds, a Monarch Butterfly was taking a drink of nectar. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t mad about the rain, or the heat, or anything else for that matter. It was immersed in the sweetness of the moment.

Even in the challenges, there is always a sweet spot—a place that feels just right, where the edges are softened. A peaceful, joyous place where all is as it should be, and the view is more beautiful and amazing than I could have ever imagined upon first sight. Sometimes that sweet spot can be found in the shade of an oak tree or the gentle relief of a cool breeze. Other times, it can be found in a smile or a kind word. It can always be found in laughter and a deep breath. Whatever it is, when I find it, everything changes.

The secret of life is knowing how to laugh and also how to breathe. —Alan Watts

Don’t get me wrong, my mind still tries to convince me that it wants things my way, just right, without too much or too little of anything. But, thankfully, nature has a sense of humor, and just chuckles when I complain about the weather.

And even though things may get uncomfortable, or not to my liking now and then, I know there is always a sweet spot that can instantly change my perspective, even if I have to hang upside down to find it.